Discovering Passion Through Writing
Brandi Easterling Collins discusses how personal experiences influence her writing, creating authentic characters facing complex emotions. Music enhances her storytelling, showcasing her growth and dedication to her craft.
Brandi Easterling Collins, a gifted novelist from Dardanelle, Arkansas, embarked on her literary journey in junior high, crafting her initial tales in pencil on notebook paper. Now a distinguished author and blogger, Collins holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and has an impressive repertoire of young adult and new adult novels, including notable titles like “Caroline’s Lighthouse” and “Jordan’s Sister”. Collins, a self-proclaimed reformed perfectionist, captivates her readers with narratives that explore resilience and strength in flawed female characters who navigate life’s tumultuous challenges. Her stories delve into dark themes such as jealousy, anger, and grief, drawing from personal experiences to create relatable and authentic characters.
During a candid interview with Reader’s House Magazine, Brandi reflects on how her personal life shaped her artistry. After taking a decade-long hiatus to embrace marriage and motherhood, she returned to writing with a renewed perspective, bringing greater depth to her characters and narratives. Music plays an integral role in her creative process, with carefully curated playlists serving as a backdrop to her storytelling. Her work continues to be a testament to her passion, inspiring not only her devoted readers but also her family, as her literary legacy hopes to influence future generations.
What inspired you to explore themes of jealousy, anger, and grief in your writing?
Big emotions are part of the human experience. Writing about characters who feel such things makes them relatable to readers. My goal is to create characters who seem like real people.
Having lost my dad to cancer when I was a child, sharing my grief through writing has helped me heal. I hope grieving people can find inspiration as they follow my characters’ journeys toward healing.
How did your decade-long break from writing shape your perspective as an author?
I took time off writing after getting married and starting a family. I think the break allowed much-needed rest as I adjusted to my new roles and allowed me time to grow as a person. Any personal growth makes me a better writer.
Writing many stories as a teen allowed me to capture authentic teen angst, so I’m fortunate to have those drafts. When I revisited my work as an adult, I was able to bring depth to the older characters.
What role does music play in your creative process and storytelling?
All songs are poetry, and music has always been a passion of mine. Songs can transport someone back in time like nothing else. While working on a novel, I always have a playlist of at least twenty songs that say something about the lead character or their state of mind.
My second novel, Jordan’s Sister, is about two singer-songwriters. Within the novel are lyrics to four songs I wrote for the characters. You can listen to AI-recorded versions of two songs on my website, caniscareyou.com.
A few of my novels take place in the 1990s, so any songs I include on the playlist or mention in the story are appropriate for that timeframe. It’s a pet peeve of mine when novels set in the past contain music or items that did not come out until later.
How do you approach writing characters who face complex emotional struggles?
When creating my characters, I tend to draw from personal experiences. Each of my lead characters contains pieces of myself, whether a personality trait, a physical characteristic, or a fictionalized situation based on an actual event. I also like to incorporate traits from friends and family.
I keep a fact sheet for each primary character that is never published. I use it while writing to ensure that everything my characters do fits their personalities.
What was the inspiration behind the haunting story of Caroline’s Lighthouse?
There’s just something gothic and romantic about lighthouses. Despite growing up in Arkansas, a non-coastal U.S. state, I’ve adored them for as long as I can remember. I also like mysteries, ghost stories, and tales of forbidden love. I combined all those elements in Caroline’s story by creating a town, an estate, and a legend to go with it.
I wrote the original draft of Caroline’s Lighthouse when I was 15 and revised it when I was 18. It was the last of seven book-length stories I wrote as a teen. Because it was the most polished work, I rewrote it as an adult and published it in 2016. The second edition was published in 2018 under my company, Luminesce Publishing.
How do you hope your writing will impact your children as they grow older?
I hope my children see that their mom pursued her childhood dream and succeeded. I want them to share my novels with their children someday.
